KENEDY COUNTY, Texas — The damage would have been much greater for Corpus Christi if Major Hurricane Bret didn't turn due west to make landfall in Kenedy County on August 22, 1999.
Bret was a category four hurricane just before landfall on August 21, but weakened as it approached Kenedy County, about 50 miles south of Corpus Christi. It made landfall as a category three storm with 115 mph sustained wind, and a max gust of 143 mph. The highest wind gust in Corpus Christi was 55 mph.
Despite it's strength and damage to the land, Bret remains on the list for tropical cyclones in 2023.
Why, you might ask? The World Meteorological Society only retires names on the list if the storm is so deadly or costly that it would be inappropriate to reuse the name.
Bret happens to be the same list that Harvey was on in 2017. Harvey was retired after causing $125 billion in damage and at least 68 directly-related fatalities.
Harold replaced Harvey on the 2023 list.
The damage from Hurricane Bret was estimated to be around $86 million, which is a lot, but nothing compared to Harvey's $125 billion. Four U.S. fatalities from Bret were reported to the National Weather Service and three were reported in Mexico.
Bret did dump 16 inches of rain at the Exxon Gas Plant in Kleberg County and 14.5 inches in Port Aransas. Corpus Christi recorded 6.60 inches of rain. Flash flooding was a concern and many roadways were closed in Corpus Christi due to high water.
So, while Hurricane Bret did cause some damage and fatalities in 1999, it was not enough for the name to be retired from future lists.
